WHEN DOES PLAN B BECOME PLAN A?

Few Sundance Filmmakers Brave Alternative Distribution Paths

By Anthony Kaufman

THE IMPERIALISTS ARE STILL ALIVE!

Old distribution models die hard.

Everyone knows about the
passing of that once-established indie film paradigm: Make a movie, show it at
a festival, sell it to a distributor, get it booked in theaters, watch it find
a home on DVD and cable — and then somewhere down the line, after all the
release expenses are recovered, maybe even rake in a few bucks.

And yet, when talking to filmmakers and sales reps
heading into this year’s Sundance, it’s shocking how few are following new
distribution strategies.

Submarine Entertainment’s Josh Braun says that a
few of the filmmakers he’s repping have discussed some form of alternative
path. “However,” he explains, “we are going on the Sundance ride to see how
things unfold. Last year we had a bidding war and sold Humpday during Sundance, and I don’t think those days are gone yet.
Certain movies will still trigger strong interest from distributors who don’t
want to risk losing a great film.”

This might come as a surprise from Braun, who
helped orchestrate the hugely successful DIY release for Valentino: The Last Emperor. After distribution offers were deemed
inadequate following its Toronto fest ’08 premiere, the team eventually formed
a partnership with Truly Indie and Vitagraph Films, and the self-styled release
went onto become one of 2009’s highest-grossing docs. But Braun says that was a
particular case of the filmmakers’ eagerness to experiment. “For certain films,
it’s a great opportunity,” he says, further noting that films, particularly
documentaries with a TV partner already in place, can take advantage of the
theatrical window between a festival premiere and broadcast date.

Citing the “broken down” theatrical
distribution market, Cinetic Media’s Digital Rights guru Matt Dentler believes
there is a greater willingness now among filmmakers to embrace alternative
distrib routes. “For the right film, which didn’t cost a ton of money and where
there’s a specific audience, you can use the momentum of a festival and [with
digital distribution] tap into people around the country who are hearing about
the film and don’t have a way to see it,” he says. Dentler adds that Cinetic’s
strategy to self-release Chris Smith’s Collapse
on VOD and theaters shortly after its Toronto ’09 premiere was always the plan
for the film. But it’s too soon to determine whether the strategy paid off.
While the film attracted an impressive amount of publicity, by publication it
has only grossed $50,000.

Regardless, the fact is most
reps and filmmakers won’t go on record with non-conventional distribution plans
because both still want to attract big buyers. Filmmakers want the distribution
and marketing muscle a conventional distributor can provide, and most reps work
off commissions, incentivizing them to aim first for large advances and quick
sales. For all the talk of new models, few filmmakers want to give up on the
old dream. As Dentler says, “When filmmakers get into Sundance, their distribution
expectations skyrocket, even in this market.”

So when does reality set in?

For Michael Mohan,
writer-director of One Too Many Mornings,
playing in Sundance’s new low-budget Next section, the cruel truths of the
sales climate hit home while he was making his movie. “We were looking at other
films of similar scale; half were coming out, half weren’t, so we thought. ‘What’s
the most responsible thing to do?’”

He and his team soon decided it made the most sense
to make their indie comedy available for sale off their Web site
(onetoomanymornings.com) through
download and DVD immediately after the movie’s Sundance premiere. They enlisted the help of
TopSpin Media, a technology and
marketing firm that has previously helped music acts reach their audiences
directly through the Web.

One Too Many Mornings
producer Anthony Deptula acknowledges that the film’s low budget allowed them
to try a more “hybrid” approach. “If you have a $400,000 or $600,000 movie, you
can’t really mess around,” he admits. But with a low-budget, low-stakes
production, Mohan and Deptula are motivated just as much by a financial
incentive as a creative one. “Our goal is not to sell the film,” says Mohan, “but
get it seen by as many people as possible.”

Likewise, Thomas Woodrow, producer
of Sundance Next selection Bass Ackwards,
was fed up with the traditional distribution model — which he sardonically
calls “stealing” (“a company taking a movie and then paying their bills by
selling it and giving nothing back to the filmmaker,” he explains). Instead the
Bass Ackwards filmmakers are planning
“to treat Sundance itself as the theatrical campaign,” says Woodrow. Partnering
with former New Line exec Marion Koltai-Levine’s Zipline Entertainment and
indie distributor New Video, Woodrow hopes to get the film out “on every single
platform as we can — DVD, iTunes, Amazon, Netflix, and maybe even in theaters.
When someone asks, ‘How can I see your movie?’ The answer will be ‘anyway you
want.’ When? February 1.”

While Mohan and Woodrow are
embracing the future, diving headlong into post-Sundance digitally-driven
launches, many filmmakers still want to emphasize a theatrical release as their
first line of fire, with or without an established distributor. As Vanessa
Hope, a producer of the Sundance competition picture The Imperialists are Still Alive!, states, “If we end up needing to
go directly to the theater chains ourselves in order to get the film out there,
we will do it.” She believes the Internet is key to the film’s promotion, but
she feels that Imperialists is akin
to indies from the ’60s and ’70s “that audiences above 25 years old will want
to experience in theaters.”

Like many producers and
filmmakers heading into Sundance, Hope is already strategizing for public
consumption no matter what happens in Park City: getting that Facebook page
polished, seeking out celebrity endorsements and cultivating fans online. But
she sums up the aims of many by saying, “Plan A is a buyer.”